I really meant to stay at home today, to catch up on the necessary chores of the week - but when yet another day dawned cold and wet, and the phone rang with my friend at the other end proposing a "don't let the weather get us down" type expedition, it only took a short while to decide that out was preferable to in - off we went to Streatley, a small town on the river Thames.

We arrived at the doors of a nice little antique shop there just in time to be told that they were shutting up shop for lunch. Off we wandered instead to visit the rest of the town, along a back alleyway which took us past the town allotment, full at this time of the year with burgeoning teepees of runner beans, fat pumpkins, ruby chard and overblown, glorious sunflowers.

Around the corner, a little tempting little interior design shop now stocks a lot of very affordable items. We felt we could now allow ourselves the luxury of looking around without making furious mental notes not to get suckered into spending ridiculous amounts of money on something both trivial and extortionately priced. (We don't usually actually SPEND that sort of money, but we kid ourselves into thinking that we could if we wanted to!). As it was, I found the very inexpensive little boxes in the photo above, actually intended for holding bathroom bits and pieces, but in my mind's eye already forming themselves into a miniature beach scene.

Next to a shop run by another friend, a talented teddy bear artist who now also stocks miniatures and dollshouses. I was given permission to take a couple of shots of the shop interior, and hope to return for a longer visit in (and website article) in the near future. Look particularly at the miniature house with *real* thatch - intriguing.

After a pub lunch and a good gossip (an essential part of any day out, of course!), we found our way back to the antique shop, which had by this time opened its doors. After a happy hour browsing around in there, I came home bearing yet another children's tea set which I had found hidden away at the back of the shop. In my favourite blue and white patterning, I pondered, when I got home, just what the appeal of these miniature tea sets is to me. I enjoy collecting all sorts of toys for the social history attached to them, but I have decided that another reason I love the little tea sets is connected with the brass one shown alongside the china one in the photo.

My grandfather brought the little brass tray, teapot, cups and saucers from India, where he served in the Army in the early part of the last century. For the first twelve years of my childhood, that little tea set sat on my grandmother's sideboard, in her sitting room, where i gazed upon it each Sunday on my weekly visit to her. That tea set charmed me with a passion - but I think that during the whole of those twelve years I was allowed to play with it perhaps four times - and then ONLY at Christmastime. What was the big deal over it? Fragility could not even be used as an excuse - it was made of brass, for goodness sake, not paper-thin porcelain.

No - I conclude that, like many other things fifty years ago, I was not allowed to play with it simply because it was deemed good for me to go without - and for the sense of power which it gave "elders and betters" in those long ago days of childhood which were not always the good old days. I am always amazed that it did finally end up with me - a momentary aberration by other members of the family for which I will always be surprised - and grateful.

Journal prompt. Do you remember days and times when you were only allowed to play with an item "on special occasions?" - What were those items - and when were the occasions? Sundays only? At special times of the year? And talking of Sundays - what were you NOT allowed to do on that special day of the week? How do you feel about it all now?